To analyse a setting and consider its impact on the reader

Key Stage 2

English

A Career in Computer Games by Anthony Horowitz

﻿Hello, it's Ms. Henman. Today is our fifth and final lesson in this unit. Before we begin, I just wanted to warn you that in the text today, we'll be reading about a character who brings out a weapon. So if you think that's something that you might need an adult to support you with or to be present whilst you do this lesson, please, could you pause the video whilst you go and get them and ask them if they have some time. Otherwise, let's get going. Let's go through our agenda for today's lesson. First, we're going to do a quick vocabulary check to make sure that you understand some key words that are coming up in the text today. Then we're going to analyse a setting. After that, we're going to read and consider how you, as the reader, feel whilst you're reading this text. And finally, we're going to reflect on what we've read and the genre of this book. In this lesson, you're going to need an exercise book or a piece of paper, you're going to need a pencil or a pen, and you're going to need a quiet learning space. If you don't have these to hand or you need to change anything, then pause the video whilst you do that. Do you know what these words mean? Have you heard them before or read them before? The first words are stained glass. My turn, your turn. Stained glass. The second one is crescent. Hmm, just have a little bit of thinking time. So here's an image of some stained glass on a front door. Often, stained glass, the coloured glass can be found in religious buildings but also in windows and front doors of Victorian and Edwardian houses, so houses which were approximately 100 years old, Have a look at the picture. Here, you can see that the street curves and it's in a semicircle shape. This is a crescent. So when a road curves like this, it's called a crescent. You might have heard of the word crescent as a way to describe the moon when it's not full. This is an aerial view of a crescent. So can you see that the road is curving round? And that the houses are therefore also in that curved shape. This is another crescent from street level. Okay, I'm going to read you this paragraph and I'd like you to follow it with your eyes, please. Just think back, Kevin has just had his interview and he was offered the job, so now he's going home. Put your eyes on the word there. There weren't many people around as Kevin turned into the street where he lived. It was half past three, and most of the mothers would be fetching their kids from school or in the kitchens preparing tea, the ones who weren't at work themselves, of course. Cranwell Grove was actually a crescent; a long, quiet road with Victorian terraced houses standing side by side all the way around. Now it's your turn to read. So I'd like you to pause the video whilst you read these sentences out loud. Do that now, please. Okay, so what do we know about Kevin's house? Pause the video and list three things by saying them out loud. What do you know about his house? Fantastic. My question is, do you think the street that Kevin lives on is tranquil? Tranquil? So tranquil, I can see a picture of a giraffe having a calm and peaceful time underneath a tree. So our synonym for tranquil is calm or peaceful. Do you think tranquil would be an appropriate adjective to describe Kevin's street? Show me a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I think yes, it was district described as quiet, so that makes me think that it's tranquil. Do you think anything ominous is happening in our story or there is anything ominous on his street? So that's when something scary is about to happen and you get a feeling that a terrible thing might be happening. Do we have that yet in the story? Thumbs up or thumbs down. Mm-hmm. I don't think so. Picturesque. So this scene of picturesque is the sort of scene or the sort of place that you would like to take a picture of. Do you think that Kevin's street is picturesque? Thumbs up or thumbs down. I think yes, it's described as a crescent and from some of the photographs that we looked at earlier, crescents look quite beautiful. It's described as being full of those Victorian houses, and I know from my prior knowledge that Victorian houses are quite picturesque. Do you think Kevin's street could be described as secluded? Secluded? So what does secluded mean? Hmm. I can see a creature sitting on what looks like the moon or a planet in outer space, and it looks like he's by himself. So secluded means empty or remote. Do you think we could describe Kevin's street as secluded? Thumbs up or thumbs down. Hmm, this one's a little bit debatable, so your thumbs might be somewhere in the middle. His street isn't in the countryside, so it's not remote. There are terraced houses; there are lots of houses back to back; however, it is described as quiet and empty, so I think we can describe it as secluded. It looks like Bernie's having a really hectic day and she's got lots and lots of things to do. She's having a hectic day. Do you think Kevin's street can be described as hectic? Thumbs up or thumbs down. I agree. His street is not hectic. Can you read the question on the screen, please? What do you think? Point with your finger. Do you think it's positive or do you think it's negative? And have a think about why. I think it's described in a positive way; however, some people might think it's described in a negative way. It's a subjective question, so the answer might depend on who is answering it. I think it is portrayed in a positive way because I like the idea of living on a calm, serene, picturesque street. Do you think Kevin likes it there? Thumbs up or thumbs down. I think Kevin doesn't like it there, so for him, it's going to be portrayed in a negative way. I'm going to read to you. Follow with your eyes. Kevin didn't like it there, of course. He argued with the neighbours. Why did they have to get so uptight about their cat? He'd only thrown one brick at it. Now we're going to consider how you feel as we read the next part. It's your turn to read now. Please pause the video as you do this. Off you go. Hmm, so something odd is happening. Can you identify where the atmosphere changes in the text? What's the turning point where this goes from being a calm, picturesque, tranquil street to a different atmosphere in the story? Pause the video whilst you look for at least one piece of evidence. But you might find more. Off you go. I wonder what you found. So the first thing that I thought was the changing point in this story is this: He had just reached the front door when he saw the man walking towards him. There were two things that were odd. He was walking at a fast, deliberate pace and he was wearing a suit, but also, he was heading for Kevin's house. So I think the story is changing here. I think that something ominous is now happening. Ominous, remember, means giving the worrying impression that something bad is going to happen. And I think Kevin feels that, and I think we, as a reader, may have sensed that as well. The atmosphere changed from being calm to being ominous. I'm going to keep reading. My turn to read to you. Follow with your eyes, please. Kevin's first thought was that this man was a plain-clothes policeman. Hmm, I wonder why he thinks that? Oh yeah, because he's a thief. So he's probably worried about the police catching him. Put your eyes on the word with. With his hand resting on the key which was already in the lock, his mind raced back over the past few weeks. He'd nicked a car stereo from a BMW parked in Camden Road. Could his face had been caught by a video camera? Even if it had been, how had they managed to find him? We've taken an extract here. What does the phrase "His mind raced back over the past few weeks" suggest about how Kevin is feeling? Pause the video and I want you to have a think about and write down two things that you think Kevin might be feeling. Off you go. Okay, I'm going to share what I wrote down. I think if his mind's racing, he's having lots of thoughts and he's thinking very quickly. And with that, he might have a feeling of panic or anxiousness or nervousness. And he's feeling panicked or anxious or nervous because he's worried he's going to get caught. His mind is thinking about all the possible reasons that he might be in trouble. It's now your turn to read to me. Can you pause the video as you do that? Ooh, this man is described in quite a creepy, scary way. I have inferred that Kevin is feeling unsure, panicked and scared. Can you have a look in the text to support this idea? So where is the evidence in the text that Kevin is feeling unsure, panicked, and scared? Have a look and pause the video as you do this. I wonder what you found. I'm going to show you the evidence I found. He shivered. That's a show, not tell... It's a sort of show, not tell you might use in your writing. So people can shiver for a number of reasons. One, because they're cold. Is that why he's shivering now? Or because they're frightened or they're getting a sense that something terrible is about to happen, and I think that's what's happening here. The other thing is, he started a question. What do you... But he had to stop; he was interrupted, so he wants to find out information about this man, but he's interrupted. I wonder if that's because of an action or because suddenly he becomes more scared. Let's read on and find out. I wonder what you found. I'm going to show you what I found. The first thing I thought about was he shivered. Now there are two reasons someone might shiver. One is because they are cold. Do you think that's why he's shivering here? Nope. I think he is shivering now because he is frightened and he has a feeling that something terrible is about to happen. So this is an example of show, not tell, and it's the sort of thing you might use in your writing also. Then the other thing I found is that he started a sentence. "What do you..." I think he might want to say, "What do you want?" but he's been cut off. Now, that could be because something scary has happened or because an action has happened. I'll have to read on to find out. But before we do, how did you feel as you read or listened to the last few paragraphs? I felt apprehensive and excited and a bit scared. I felt like I was sitting on the edge of my seat, so that's how I felt. I'd like you to pause the video and write down how you felt. Brilliant! My next task is, do you have any questions? So what questions do you have? What do you think might happen next? So is there anything that's puzzling you? Is there anything you don't understand? And do you have an idea of what might happen next? What might happen in the interaction between Kevin and this stranger? Pause the video and write down your thoughts and questions. Off you go. Well done. Okay, it's your turn to read to me. Pause the video as you read this out loud. Off you go. Hmm, I wonder if when you read that your pace changed? Mine did. That last paragraph, I was reading quite quickly. You can listen to me as I read it out loud, The man bought the weapon up and aimed it. Kevin yelled and ducked. The man fired. The bullet slammed into the door, inches above his head, shattering the wood. Seems like the story is becoming more intense here. It's my turn to read to you. So you can follow with your eyes. Real bullets! That was his first insane thought. This was a real gun with real bullets. His second thought was even more horrible. The man was aiming again. Somehow, when Kevin ducked, he'd had managed to hold onto the key. It was above his head now, his fingers still clinging around it. Hardly knowing he was doing, he turned the key in the lock and almost cried with relief as he felt the door opened behind him. He leant back and virtually tumbled in as the man fired a second shot, this one snapping into the wall and spitting fragments of sand and brickwork into his face. Is this what you expected to happen? So have a look at your notes that you wrote down. You had some questions maybe and you made a prediction. Is this what you thought would happen? And why do you think this man is after him? I don't think this man is a police person. Why do I think this man is after him? Pause the video and have a little think. My next question is, why is this story considered a horror story? So the genre is horror and we know the name of the book was called "Horowitz Horror," and this is one of the short stories in it. So why do you think it's considered a horror story? Pause the video and write down your answer. Hmm, so I think there are lots of answers here. Firstly, there's guns, there's some danger. It seems like something terrible is happening to Kevin. For me, I think it's a horror story because it's a twist on his life. His life was fairly ordinary. We know he, as a character, wasn't that ordinary, that he was quite defiant and that he was quite lazy and he was uninterested in his studies, but his life was fairly ordinary. And now something extraordinary and horrible is happening to him. Would you like to find out what happens in the rest of the story? Thumbs up or thumbs down. Okay, well, I'm afraid you're going to have to read the rest of it yourselves because you have completed your lesson today. I have really enjoyed teaching you and I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day. Bye!

To analyse a setting and consider its impact on the reader

To analyse a setting and consider its impact on the reader

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UnitEnglish / A Career in Computer Games by Anthony Horowitz

English